Wow, these last two weeks have been miserable here in TN. Last weekend it was tornadoes. Today, we're prisoners in our house! After 15 1/2 inches of rain over the last 2 days, all roads in all directions are totally underwater. I tried to get to Parker's Crossroads today to check damage, but it was impossible. Couldnt get through due to flooding.

Franklin got hit hard - to the extent they had to open shelters. Between this and the gulf coast oil disaster, I have the feeling CWi will be busy reporting the consequences of the two. Hope our friends in TN and Miss. are getting through it alright.

I'm sure your Tennessee got hit hard but my homeland of La is going to be devastated. If the oil slick comes in like it's supposed to do, there will be no crabs, shrimp, oysters or other wildlife in that rich area. Currently going down to Mobile to visit my daughter next week. We're signed up unfortunately to help clean the wild life down there. Hopefully won't have much to do.

Understand Doc. Sometimes it seems like the rest of the country has already written Louisiana off. Commercial and recreational fishing has already been banned. I'm afraid that people still don't see what an economic disaster this is. The truth will hit home when the slick enters Mobile Bay, Biloxi and Gulfport, Pensacola, etc.

Best of luck to both you and your daughter. All projections are showing Mobile Bay to be in the center when it comes ashore.

This could be worse than katrina. As the news media has reported, La is the biggest seafood supplier in the lower 48 states. My advice for you shrimp lovers out there is buy all you can get your hands on and freeze them. Hopefully the SC and NC shrimpers won't be touched. However, I've seen that this disaster can potentially move via the gulf stream through the Keys and up the east coast.

People also fail to understand how much damage Ivan did to Mobile, Pensacola, etc, the year before Katrina. My townhouse in Gulf Shores, Alabama was 75% destroyed by it and people are just now getting over that one. However, if you choose to live on the gulf coast you have to expect hurricanes and the havouc which they can bring.

Doc C wrote: People also fail to understand how much damage Ivan did to Mobile, Pensacola, etc, the year before Katrina. My townhouse in Gulf Shores, Alabama was 75% destroyed by it and people are just now getting over that one. However, if you choose to live on the gulf coast you have to expect hurricanes and the havouc which they can bring.

Doc,

I am from Florence in the norhtwest corner of the state. I fish the Tennessee river often and I was amazed by the devistation to the forests from Ivan.... That was one powerful storm to have caused the damage it caused 250 to 300 miles north of landfall. I did get to Mobile/ Gulf Shores the following summer (Biloxi area as well) and could see in GS the damage. Fortunately I got to see Beauvoir and the gorgeous homes along the hiway one last time before the devistation of Katrina.

Just Checking in.. I need to do it more often.. I am high and Dry and didnt suffer any damage from the flood.. I did get blocked in my appartment complex because oh high water for about a hr. but that is nothing.. Cousin Doc I hope all is well with you and will keep LA and coast in my prayers

Any word on when the Ryman and the Opry House will be back in business? I hear the Opryland Resort is under 6 feet of water. Man what a disaster. I've seen pics of the Nashville area, what devastation.

My wife and I are planning to visit Nashville next May and we're wondering if everything will back to normal after seeing all of this. We visited Nashville 4 years ago on our honeymoon. We had such a great time we told ourselves we would go back in 5 years. Well it will be 5 years next year, I hope we can go.

The Ryman was not affected by the flood and remains open. They held the Opry there this past weekend. However the "New" Opry House by Opryland Hotel will probably not reopen for several months. I think they are thinking maybe by the end of the summer. The Hotel is not looking to take reservations until at least October at the earliest.

The Saturday of the flood I saw something that 30 people were evatuated from Carnton House as it is fairly close to one of the rivers that really flooded but I haven't been able to find out if the house or cemetery suffered any damage.

Back from Orange Beach, best time to go before the heat and crowds. No oil but that depends on the winds. As of now, looks like it's going in the worse possible direction - west of the Mississippi River into the Louisiana estuaries.